Chapter 1042

The Kirigakure ninja did not communicate much, and they rushed toward the source of the explosion.

For the moment, only two Kirigakure ninja and "Hai" remained by the bonfire.

The Kirigakure ninja "Xin" and "Ji" sat cross-legged on the ground in silence, as if waiting for something.

A hundred meters away, a great battle was erupting.

The Root squad was engaged in a fierce battle with the Kirigakure ninja; the noise from earlier was caused by the detonation tags triggered during their clash.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!

Two Kirigakure ninja stood on the left and right, simultaneously performing the Water Dragon Bullet technique.

Two ferocious-looking water dragons twisted and turned, closing in on the Root squad from both sides.

Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!

A Root ninja quickly performed an Earth Release to defend; the earth wall and the water dragons collided with a dull thud.

"Boom!!!"

Dust and smoke rose in the forest, obscuring the surroundings completely.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!"

Before the smoke had cleared, the Root ninja rushed out from the dust holding kunai, engaging the Kirigakure ninja in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Blood began to spill as both sides erupted into an incredibly intense battle.

Soon, the remaining Kirigakure ninja, hearing the commotion, arrived from all directions and joined the fray.

By the bonfire, Xin and Ji listened to the sounds of battle from afar, their expressions remaining strangely indifferent.

It was as if the battle in the distance was not a life-or-death struggle between enemies, but a trivial commotion caused by their companions.

"Crackle!!!"

The bonfire in front of them continued to emit slight popping sounds.

"Clang!!!"

Just then, a snow-white, dazzling luster erupted suddenly from the earth beneath their feet.

An incomparably sharp aura, carrying the momentum to destroy everything, made their scalps tingle slightly.

The pupils of Xin and Ji contracted violently at the same time.

Although they had been prepared, when they truly faced this legendary blade light, they still couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise and fear.

Hatake Sakumo had arrived!

The surprise in the eyes of Xin and Ji lasted only for an instant; they reacted quickly.

Rather than "reacting," it would be more accurate to say they had been waiting for this second for a long time.

What was Hatake Sakumo's blade like?

At this moment, Xin and Ji could undoubtedly give a very precise answer.

That was—fast!

Fast enough that even the parents of Sasori of the Red Sand, the genius puppet masters of the Sunagakure puppet corps, could not react.

Facing an attack that even quasi-Kage level powerhouses could not resist, Xin and Ji were naturally powerless to defend.

There was no time to block, and no time to escape.

Under this dazzling blade light, they could only watch helplessly as they met their fate of being destroyed.

Yet, a second before this peerless sharpness tore them into pieces, they simultaneously formed a seal.

"Swish!!!!!"

Pitch-black runes instantly spread from their hearts across their bodies; the dense black markings were enough to make one feel uneasy just by looking at them.

But at this moment, a trace of relief appeared in the eyes of Xin and Ji simultaneously.

"Pfft!!!"

The next second, the silver-white blade light tore them directly apart.

A bizarre thing happened: where their bodies were torn, not a single drop of blood spilled out; instead, a large amount of pitch-black, unidentified liquid emerged.

The moment these liquids touched the ground, they spread wildly like a tide, and in an instant, the ground within a hundred-meter radius was stained with a black luster.

No. 576, The Legendary Kekkei Genkai

After the dazzling blade light, Hatake Sakumo's figure appeared on this pitch-black land.

Undoubtedly, under Hatake Sakumo's full-strength strike, the Kirigakure ninja named Xin and Ji could not possibly have had any ability to resist.

But Hatake Sakumo knew very well that these two did not seem to have died under his sword technique.

Strictly speaking, Xin and Ji seemed to have anticipated Hatake Sakumo's sudden attack.

Before the blade light reached them, they seemed to have activated some mysterious technique first, and lost their lives because of it.

Just looking at the pitch-black ground beneath his feet, Hatake Sakumo felt his inner anxiety growing.

"Sealing technique."

Sakumo said to himself secretly.

As a legendary ninja, with Hatake Sakumo's discernment, he could naturally recognize what kind of ability had caused this anomaly.

Moreover, he keenly noticed that under the influence of this sealing technique, the ground within a hundred meters had undergone some subtle changes.

A cold light flashed suddenly in Hatake Sakumo's eyes.

He had already sensed that under the influence of this mysterious sealing technique, the use of Earth Release in the surrounding area was greatly affected.

In other words, Sakumo could no longer freely use his peak-level Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu to escape underground at will.

The experience of a Kage-level ninja allowed Hatake Sakumo to quickly associate it with something!

A trap!

The target of this sealing technique was none other than him—"Konoha's White Fang," Hatake Sakumo!!!

Since making a name for himself on the battlefield of the Land of Wind, the leadership of all major ninja villages had understood the foundation upon which Hatake Sakumo dominated the ninja world.

That was—a peak-level Earth Release and a masterful sword technique.

Under these circumstances, Hatake Sakumo would certainly not be naive enough to think that the appearance of this sealing technique targeting Earth Release was a coincidence.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Did the other side guess that the village would send me to pursue them, or is it that..."

"There is a mole in the village!!!"

In an instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through Sakumo's mind.

The appearance of this sealing technique completely threw Sakumo off balance.

But what happened next interrupted his thoughts directly.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!!"

More than a dozen ninja wearing Kirigakure headbands appeared around Hatake Sakumo, surrounding him in a pincer formation.

From the formation and momentum of the enemy, Hatake Sakumo immediately judged that these enemies were definitely not third-rate characters!

Sakumo's gaze grew colder; he did not act in a hurry, but instead moved closer to "Hai," who was bound by iron chains and unconscious on the ground, taking the mission target into his own hands.

At the same time, the encirclement by the Kirigakure ninja was complete.

"Hatake Sakumo, we have been waiting for a long time."

The leading Kirigakure ninja spoke coldly, directly revealing Hatake Sakumo's identity.

The Kirigakure ninja's tone confirmed Sakumo's guess—they were indeed prepared, knowing he would come.

At the same time, this made Sakumo's heart sink again.

The enemy dared to do this, which meant that in their hearts, they had already decided they could take him, which is why they would reveal such "irrelevant" information to him directly.

Facing the rapidly deteriorating situation, although Hatake Sakumo felt a sense of solemnity, he was not panicked.

As a powerful Kage-level ninja, if such a scene could make him lose his footing, he probably wouldn't have lived until today.

After all, he had experienced situations even more critical than today.

Although the enemies were numerous, Hatake Sakumo had absolute confidence in himself.

"How did you know that it was me who came to pursue?"

Sakumo asked faintly, his sharp eyes filled with coldness.

To Sakumo's question, the Kirigakure ninja did not seem to have any intention of answering; instead, he said coldly to Hatake Sakumo.

"Hatake-kun, it seems you don't know what you are holding in your hands."

Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo's brows knitted together tightly.

He did not understand what the other party meant, so he continued to scrutinize the Kirigakure ninja coldly, guarding against this being a psychological tactic.

"Hmph!" ===== CHAPTER 1044 =====